USDA lowered its projection for Russia’s 2013-14 wheat crop by 2 MMT to 54 MMT in yesterday’s global S&D Report. The figure is still up 43% from last year’s severely drought-reduced crop, but USDA says for the current crop, conditions in the key winter wheat zone have deteriorated.
“Winter wheat conditions deteriorated during May in Russia’s Southern and North Caucasus Districts following an extended period of hot, dry weather that depleted subsurface moisture reserves and placed stress on winter crops. These two districts together produce about 60% of the country’s winter wheat,” says USDA’s Foreign Ag Service. “Meanwhile, conditions in the Central District are outstanding, and output from the Volga District is likely to rebound significantly from last year, when wheat yield fell to one of the lowest levels in 15 years. The planting of spring wheat in the Siberian District has encountered major delays resulting from several weeks of unfavorably wet weather in May. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, wheat planting in Siberia was 54% complete by May 28 compared to 89% by the same date last year. Spring-grain planting in Russia is mostly complete by early June but will occasionally continue until the middle of the month.”
Meanwhile, USDA raised its Brazilian 2012-13 corn production estimate by 1 MMT to 77 MMT due to an increase in planted area, as it left its yield projection unchanged. USDA notes that its yield projection for first-crop corn is already at a record level and yields of the second-crop corn, known as the safrinha crop, are not at record levels. “Yield potential in Mato Grosso is determined by the length of the rainy season and this year the season ended when expected in mid-April. Mato Grosso achieved record Safrinha corn yields in 2011-12 and lower than record yields are expected in 2012-13,” it states.
- Russia Wheat: Conditions Deteriorate in Key Winter-Wheat Zone
- Ukraine Wheat: Yield Forecast Falls to Slightly Below Average
- European Union Wheat: Excessive Spring Rains Contribute to Crop Reductions
- Italy Corn: 2013/14 Production Estimate Lowered Due to Abnormally High Spring Rainfall Preventing Planting
- Brazil Corn: Increase in Second-crop 2012/13 Corn Area; Record Yields
- European Union Rapeseed: Estimated Production Reduced Due to Poor Weather and Revised Area Estimates
- Brazil Soybeans: Lower Production in 2012/13 due to Losses in the Northeast
